Wizard:Starting from Synthesizing Gems

Sophia the Witch stood up and walked to the door, then suddenly seemed to remember something. She turned back and tossed Locke a set of keys.

"These are the keys to my Magical Creature Cultivation Room. I was originally planning to post a long-term task to hire a Second-Class Wizard Apprentice to help feed the potion ingredients in that room."

"Now that you're here, you'll be responsible for it from now on."

"There's an operation manual inside the cultivation room. Just follow the feeding methods described in it. You'll also learn a skill this way."

"Feeding magical creatures is relatively simpler. Once you become proficient later, you'll also be in charge of the magical plants in my Magical Plant Cultivation Room."

Sophia warned: "For now, you only need to pay special attention to that Dryad in the cultivation room. No matter what that Dryad says to you, don't listen."

"If you let her out, you'll die."

"I'm not joking."

Locke nodded solemnly, "Understood, teacher."

"Oh, teacher, I'd like to purchase some Mandala Vine seeds from you..."

Sophia waved her hand, "I'm busy now."

"You want Mandala Vine? That obsolete stuff hardly sells anymore. If you want it, I'll give it to you. I still have about a hundred plants left."

"They were leftovers from an experiment."

"I have nothing to say about your choice of magical plants. After all, you'll eventually master all the Vine Hand Series Spells anyway. So I don't think you need to change your chosen magical plants."

"They're just basic spells before more advanced magic. It doesn't make much difference which magic vines you use. Of course, this is just my personal opinion."

Locke listened while nodding. Clearly, Sophia the Witch's judgment on this matter was completely different from those First Class Wizard Apprentices on the Wizard Ship.

Naturally, this was based on their different levels and perspectives.

In Sophia's eyes, the Vine Hand Series Spells were merely for study, with the main purpose of improving mental power and wizard rank.

Pursuing better magic vines was a waste of time.

But for those wizard apprentices, pursuing better magic vines could enhance spell effects, making a significant difference.

Locke didn't mind either way. He didn't need to change - he could just directly synthesize using the hundred Mandala Vines Sophia gave him.

With a hundred, he should be able to synthesize up to level five.

He didn't know what level five Mandala Vine would be like, but even if it had no special effects, it would certainly perform better than level one Mandala Vine.

Based on past experience, ordinary synthesis formulas generally improved certain aspects of the synthesized items.

And if he got lucky and discovered a special synthesis formula that produced unique effects, that would be even better.

That afternoon.

While Sophia was busy, Locke took the keys and entered the Magical Creature Cultivation Room.

He unlocked the wooden door with the key, followed the manual's procedure by hanging the key on an iron nail on the door, then looked up to survey the interior.

From the outside, it appeared to be just a small wooden cabin, but the interior was as vast as a football field.

The air inside was filled with the mingled aromas of various Magical Creature Feeds.

The space was divided into many sections—there were stables, cattle pens, and iron cages holding mysterious creatures. Some cages were human-sized, while others hung suspended in mid-air. Many were draped with black cloth, obscuring their contents.

With just a quick glance, Locke was already amazed. Some of the horses had fiery red manes that burned like flames, while others had brown manes crackling with lightning.

There were also giant eagles with feathers like iron plates, and enormous frogs measuring 1.5 meters long, their skin covered in icy crystal-like protrusions. Their tongues were densely lined with capillaries, making them look particularly bizarre.

"Arde Flame Horses, Arde Flame Horse Subspecies Lightning Horses, Iron Feather Eagles, and Frost Throat Giant Frogs…" Locke consulted the manual in his hand, gradually learning about these Magical Creatures.

For example, Arde Flame Horses required a special feed made from Magic Stone Shards mixed with lava and wheat flour.

The cages holding Frost Throat Giant Frogs needed daily checks to ensure enough ice was provided, as their blood was a crucial ingredient for brewing the Fire Protection Enchantment Potion. Their eyeballs could serve as casting materials for many frost magic spells under the Shaping School.

Locke found it all fascinating—firstly, because it was his first time encountering so many bizarre Magical Creatures, and secondly, because these were foundational knowledge in the Wizard World, the bedrock for his future studies and spellcraft.

He knew he couldn't learn everything in a day, but he had the patience to memorize them one by one.

Following the manual's instructions, Locke gradually finished feeding all the Magical Creatures in the cabin.

Suddenly, he noticed a faint glow ahead, like a lone lamp in the darkness.

Looking up, he saw that the black cloth covering the iron cage at the deepest part of the cabin had somehow fallen to the ground, revealing the creature inside.

Inside the cage was a completely naked human girl with golden hair. She clutched her chest and private parts, looking at Locke with panic and shame.

She buried her face and wept pitifully. "Save me… save me… That witch is a monster, a devil. Look at what she's done to me—please, help me."

"Save me."

"That witch named Sophia captures human girls and uses us for her evil experiments. Please, just open this cage—I'll do anything you ask…"

Locke remained expressionless as he approached the cage, treating the alluring human beauty before him as nothing more than air. He picked up the manual hanging on the cage and read aloud.

"Dryad, Child of the Forest. Innately possesses a passive 0.7-circle Human Charm spell, capable of completely bewitching and altering the perceptions of ordinary humans."

"Extremely dangerous."

"Prolonged conversation with a Dryad can cause even a wizard apprentice to gradually lose their grasp on reality. Therefore, extended dialogue is not recommended."

"The blood of a Dryad is a crucial ingredient for many potions. Just feed the Dryad a portion of dew each day, but under no circumstances should you engage in conversation with it."

Locke opened the can of dew, scooped some with a wooden spoon, and poured it into the iron bowl inside the cage.

The next moment, the "human beauty" slammed against the iron bars. She let out a furious roar, like a wild beast, and in that instant, her milky-white skin transformed into something resembling a toad's—covered in warts and pitch-black.

Her appearance changed drastically, resembling a rotten, withered tree stump, with no trace of the human beauty left. Her hair turned into a tangle of dead branches, and her face twisted with malice.

"Damn human! When I get out, I'll rip your heart out with my own hands!"

"You just wait!"

"Don't you dare leave! Don't you dare!"

Having finished his final task, Locke turned and walked out of the wooden hut.

It had to be said—the world of wizards was indeed dangerous.

Even a simple feeding job like this required extreme caution. One mistake, and it could easily cost him his life.

(End of Chapter)